


Conversation Can Shift the Direction Of Change

by flkeysgal98



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types, x-m - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 13:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14058306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flkeysgal98/pseuds/flkeysgal98
Summary: Conversations, whether past, present or future can change the direction we take. We just have to listen.





	1. Charles and Logan

They were about twenty minutes out from D.C. when Logan looked over at Charles, realizing he needed one more promise from the man. "I need you to know something about Jean, for when you find her," he said, leaning forward once again.

Charles looked up from his book and glanced over at the man sitting across from him. "I almost think I should stop you, this has to break some sort of law of physics or something."

Logan chuckled, "Yeah probably so. But I figure I can talk to you about this and I've always been able to talk to you. Something happened in my lifetime, and it was something I didn't agree with you on, something I'm hoping to prevent."

Charles glanced away for a moment, the heartache that he had felt from the mutant next to him earlier lingered in his head and heart. Just as Logan has said, he had seen the bad and Charles honestly didn't know how he had handled all that he had in his life.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt then," Charles replied, smiling. He realized that if Logan was going out on a limb for this, then it was definitely important.

"Jean is going to have the most powerful mind you'll ever encounter; even greater than yours. Whatever you do, please help her with her powers."

"What do you mean?" Charles asked quizzically.  He had never encountered anyone's mind as strong as his. He was genuinely interested in this person Logan was talking about.

"You told me that she had a dark power that grew inside her, but you blocked it from her in her own mind while she was just a child. I guess you didn't think she was capable of doing it on her own. Whatever the reason, I didn't agree with you on that. It caused us all too much pain." Logan looked out the window for a moment, the pain of losing the woman he loved stabbing him in the heart. He still hated the agony that coursed through him every time he he remembered her asking him to kill her. He hated himself for having to be the one to do it.

Logan looked back to the younger version of the man whom he looked up to. "Please help her to understand her power, that it's just from her mind being so incredible and show her that it's not wrong for her to have or wield this power."

Charles took in the earnestness of Logan's entreaty, realizing that this person was very special to him. He smiled as he replied, "I promise Logan. I will help her."

Logan relaxed into his seat, smiling his first genuine smile in a few days. "Thank you Charles. I really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome Logan. I can tell she means a lot to you."

"She did Charles. But hopefully you can change what happened."

"I will make sure this time is different my friend," Charles promised sincerely. Logan nodded appreciatively, falling into a comfortable silence once again. He knew in his heart that Charles would do the right thing.


	2. Charles and Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - After watching Apocalypse, I wondered how Jean felt about her power, the darkness she felt inside her, that was unleashed. This conversation was born from that and also ties into last chapter a little.

  
"Come in Jean," Charles said, waiving the red headed telepath into his office. "Shut the door please."

Jean nervously shut the door, tentatively making her way across the room. She didn't realize that her uneasiness was projecting very loudly through her mind, deafening enough that Charles knew how the young mutant was feeling without even probing.

"Did I do something wrong Professor?"

"No my dear, you didn't," Charles said as he wheeled over to his desk, motioning Jean to the chairs in front of him. "Jean, I wanted to thank you again for your help in Cairo. You were very brave physically and mentally."

"I don't understand what happened to you. I know you asked for my help and told me to let go of my power. But what did I do? I never go into anyone's head, I swear Professor." Jean was wringing her hands, not making eye contact with Charles. She thought she had killed the Professor with her power.

The pain still resonated in his mind, feeling her dynamic power being unleashed on En Sabah Nur and his mental barriers being shattered. Charles was still rebuilding them days later.

"I know that Jean. Again, you did nothing wrong." He stopped for a moment, hoping she would look at him. When she didn't, he added, "I just couldn't fight him alone."

That got the young mutants attention. Jean looked up from her hands to Charles, an look of disbelief flickering across her eyes.

"But you have the most powerful mind Professor! Why would you need me?"

Charles leaned forward, knowing he had to chose his words carefully. He was determined to keep his promise he had made to Logan all those years before. He wasn't going to let any harm come to the incredible young telepath while trying to help her harness her great power. And he wasn't going to let her do it alone.

"Jean, you remember me telling you how remarkable your mind is?" She nodded as Charles continued, "You have such great power. And I can tell you're sensing that, along with the darkness that is simmering inside. But we will work together to keep that darkness from emerging unless we need it."

Jean leaned back in her chair, relief flooding through her. She had been feeling the darkness trying to consume her for a while, the visions and nightmares that came progressively had been getting worse. She knew it scared the rest of the kids in the house. She'd been so scared to even tell the Professor of what was going on. But it sounded like he really understood what was happening inside her.

"I would appreciate that so much Professor. If it'll help keep me from hurting someone, I want to do whatever it takes."

Charles nodded, smiling as he moved to sit next to her. "We will work on this together, so that you won't hurt anyone. Just like the mental barriers we worked together to put in place in your mind, we can do with this darkness. If it's compartmentalized, then you'll never have to fear your power."

Jean sighed in relief as she said, "Thank you Professor, so much. When can we start?"

"You're very welcome my dear. We can start after your classes this afternoon if you'd like. Just come here to my office when you're ready."

She jumped up, taking Charles' hand and shaking it vigorously. "Yes! I'll be here!"

He smiled, sensing the renewed confidence in her mind. "Ok then Jean. You need to get to class. I'll see you later."

"See you later Professor," she said as she gathered her books and left the room.

Charles let out a sigh of relief as he watched Jean leave. He was so glad she was willing to work on keeping her powers controlled, able to be unlocked anytime she would need them. It would take some time, but he realized that once she had some barriers in place, the young telepath would stop having trouble sleeping and the nightmares that kept her awake would stop.

He glanced at his watch, seeing he had some time before his next class. Charles left his office, heading to the elevator. "Let's see if we can find you today, my friend," Charles said to himself as he made his way to Cerebro.


	3. Logan and Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - So this one came to me after watching “Days of Future Past” for the umptenth time. After all Logan had been through, this conversation was a natural for me.

“Jean, can I talk to you?”

The telepath had been talking to Storm, sharing her fear that something was off with Logan. The thoughts he had been radiating were different. The two mutants looked over to the man in question, seeing a new light in his eyes that hadn’t been there a few hours before.

“Sure Logan. Storm, I’ll catch up with you later.” Jean replied, telepathically telling Storm, _His thoughts are almost screaming that he needs to talk to me about something important. We can talk later._

“I’ll catch up you guys this evening. I have a physics class to teach in a few minutes,” Storm said, turning and heading down the hall to her room.

Logan watched Storm leave, his mind trying to piece together what he wanted and needed to say to Jean. The only thing he could say was, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Jean led Logan to one of the classrooms that wasn’t being used for the day, taking a seat next to the window. Logan followed suit, sitting across from her.

“You keep saying that. Why can’t you believe I’m here?” Jean asked softly, knowing something was wrong with the mutant. She made it a practice to never read anyone’s mind, and she wasn’t reading Logan’s, but was feeling his emotions rolling off of him in waves.

“Jean, I know this may sound crazy, but I’m not the same man I was yesterday.”

“I can tell something is different with you today. You can trust me.”

He rolled his shoulders, lowering his gaze to the floor, praying he didn’t sound crazy to her. “Well, I’m different because I come from a different time. Physically I’ve been here but my consciousness, who I am, has been in 1973.”

The room stayed silent, Jean trying to digest what Logan was telling her. _Wait, what? Why does that year sound familiar?_ she thought to herself, wracking her brain for the answer.

“In the world I was from, the sentinels had wiped out almost all the mutants in the world and many humans. Kitty used her power to send me back to 1973, to stop the Sentinel program from forming, to stop Raven from killing Bolivar Trask.”

A light bulb went off in the telepath’s mind. “The Professor told us about Trask and his Sentinels. I remember seeing Raven on tv as a child and being here at the mansion. But all the Professor would say about it that she stopped short of murdering Trask on live tv and at the time and Magneto became a wanted man.”

Logan raised his head, moisture filling his amber eyes. “Charles just filled me in on the last fifty years and told me that. Thank god it worked. The world I was a part of, I’m glad it’s been erased.”

“Why do you say that?”

“In that world, I....I mean....we lost you. You died saving us. We all took it hard, but Scott took it the hardest.” He stopped, a little unsure of what to say next.  
“It’s ok Logan. You can tell me.”

“Scott went out to where you had died, and somehow, you killed him, or rather, the Phoenix did.”

Jean looked at Logan in surprise; only a few knew about that. Especially after what happened in Cairo then in space, Charles had worked with her to keep the Phoenix locked away for her protection and that of others. Logan hadn’t arrived at the mansion until after all that went down. _So how would’ve he known?_

“Charles told us about the Phoenix, what it’s characteristics were. After that, everything happened so damn fast. It ended with Scott and Charles dead and...” he trailed off, emotion getting the better of the normally stoic mutant. The events playing in his mind were still so fresh and raw, even though twenty years had passed in his original time.

Jean wisely kept silent, letting Logan regain his composure enough to continue.

He bowed his head, wiping the tears away as he tried to formulate the response he wanted to give. “The Phoenix had been unleashed and we all had to try to stop you...it. I was the only one who physically could. You...you begged me to kill you.” He raised his head to look at the woman who meant so much to him, tears falling freely as he finished softly, “So I did.”

Jean laid her hand on Logan’s well worn one, her mind reeling at what he had been through in a period of time that no longer existed. “I’m so sorry Logan. You should’ve never had to go through that.”

He looked up, gazing at the woman he cared so much about. He had made peace with himself after Alcatraz, but he never forgot about her. And now she was sitting in the flesh before him. _Thank god Charles listened to me about her._ “It’s ok Jean. Going back in time, stopping Trask, that made this new life possible. Now we don’t have to worry about our future like we did before.”

Silence filled the room once again, a comfortable silence that was welcome for a bit as the two mutants contemplated the many thoughts running through their heads. Logan, for his part, was still in a daze, happiness finally bubbling inside him, an emotion that had been buried for many years.

Jean smiled, letting go of Logan’s hand. “So how was it? Going back to 1973 again?” She was curious about his time traveling adventure and thankfully didn’t have a class for another hour.

Logan smiled, something he hadn’t done in a long time. “The best word I can use is interesting. Let me start from the beginning...”


End file.
